What is the origin of the Autumnal Equinox, one of the 24 solar terms? Autumnal Equinox Festival
There are many stories circulating in China from ancient times to the present, from the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to Chang'e flying to the moon, and many more. So what are the sayings about the 24 solar terms, and what is the origin of the Autumnal Equinox, one of the 24 solar terms? Autumnal Equinox Sacrifice. Autumn has truly arrived in the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Let’s go to Shuimoxiansheng.com to learn more about the eighth month of the lunar calendar in 2019.What is the origin of the Autumnal Equinox, one of the 24 solar terms?Origin of the Autumnal Equinox"When the Big Dipper points to Ji it is the Autumnal Equinox. The day and night are equally divided in the northern and southern hemispheres. It is also the middle of autumn, hence the name." The sun's ecliptic longitude is 180 degrees, and the Gregorian calendar time is September 22nd to 24th every year. According to the old calendar, the autumnal equinox is exactly the midpoint of the ninety days of autumn. Just as at the spring equinox, the sun shines almost directly on the equator, and the length of day and night is once again equal. It can be said that the autumnal equinox is a rather special day. From this day on, the position of direct sunlight continues to move from the equator to the Southern Hemisphere, and the days begin to become shorter and the nights longer in the Northern Hemisphere. "The Spring and Autumn Annals" records: "The autumnal equinox is when yin and yang are equal, so the day and night are equal and the cold and heat are balanced." In astronomy, the autumnal equinox is regarded as the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Entertainment and travel activities during the Autumnal Equinox "Talking about Autumn" - The autumnal equinox is naturally accompanied by entertaining folk customs: for example, in the old days in rural areas, there were "Talking about Autumn" activities around the autumnal equinox. This "Speaking of Autumn" is actually similar to a kind of folk art program. The people who speak autumn are folk artists who are good at speaking and singing, and are called "Autumn Officials". "Sending Off the Autumn Ox" - Every Autumnal Equinox, the autumn officials would go door to door and sing auspicious words related to the harvest, and present "Autumn Ox Pictures". If the host was happy, they might even get rewarded with money. This Autumn Ox Picture is a picture in which the twenty-four solar terms are written on a double-sided red or yellow paper, and a picture of a farmer plowing with an ox is painted on it. Autumnal Equinox FestivalIn ancient times, the equinoxes and solstices were important solar terms and were always valued by rulers. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there was a custom of "worshiping the sun on the vernal equinox, worshiping the earth on the summer solstice, worshiping the moon on the autumnal equinox, and worshiping the sky on the winter solstice." The Mid-Autumn Festival that we are familiar with today actually evolved from the Moon Festival on the Autumnal Equinox. In today's Beijing, there are parks such as the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon, the Temple of Heaven, and the Temple of Earth, which were the places where emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties held sacrifices.Small sacrificial items - However, in Hangzhou, which is located in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, the customs are different. "Every household has orchids in bottles, incense and candles, and bows to the sky. Children worship under the moon and play in front of lanterns. This is called the 'Ramadan Palace'." At this time, people will also offer many items as sacrifices, but what is interesting is that these items are made into miniature forms. For example, the small God of Wealth is no bigger than an inch. There are also platforms, tables, coils, clothes, musical instruments and other items, all of which are reduced to a few inches and are very exquisite. Locals call it "bric-a-brac". The official sacrificial behavior will naturally affect the people, making everyone feel that it is very important to worship the moon on the Autumnal Equinox. However, unlike the official sacrifices which have a set of complicated etiquette and regulations, the folk moon worship shows more obvious local characteristics. For example, the custom of worshiping the moon in old Beijing is recorded in "Beijing Sui Hua Ji". The book says: "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, each family places a talisman with a rabbit standing on it, and displays melons and fruits in the courtyard. The surface of the cake is painted with a moon and a rabbit. Men and women worship solemnly and burn incense, which is then burned in the morning." |
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